The House of Representatives, through its committee on appropriations, on Monday vowed to put in place safeguards against the misuse of public funds as it began scrutinizing the proposed PHP7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.

At the opening of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) briefing, committee chair and Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mika Suansing said the House would subject the spending proposal to rigorous deliberations to ensure that taxpayers’ money goes to programs that directly address the needs of Filipinos.

“Ang bawat piso ng budget na ito ay galing sa dugo at pawis ng mga Pilipino, kaya magiging masusi po ang deliberasyon ng inyong Kongreso sa mga darating na buwan upang siguraduhin na ang bawat piso ay ilalaan sa mga programang inyong mararamdaman – na ito ay tunay na tumutugon sa pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan at ng ating bansa (Every peso in this budget comes from the blood and sweat of Filipinos, so Congress will conduct thorough deliberations in the coming months to ensure that every peso is allocated to programs that people can truly feel and that genuinely address the needs of our fellow Filipinos and our country),” the lawmaker said.

“Maglalagay po tayo ng sapat na safeguards sa budget upang tiyakin na hindi ito maaaring maabuso. Sisiguraduhin po ng inyong Kongreso na ang budget para sa taong 2027 ang isang budget na inyong mapagkakatiwalaan (We will put in place sufficient safeguards in the budget to ensure that it cannot be abused. Congress will ensure that the 2027 budget is one that you can trust),” she added.

Suansing said the 2027 budget deliberations would build on reforms introduced during the consideration of the 2026 national budget to promote greater transparency and accountability.

Among these reforms were the abolition of the “Small Committee” and the creation of the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc), whose more than 20 hours of deliberations were livestreamed, with approved amendments presented line by line.

Committee hearings and plenary deliberations were also livestreamed, while the House expanded engagement with civil society organizations and conducted what Suansing described as the first-ever People’s Budget Review.

The period for amendments was opened to all House members, with approved amendments incorporated before the General Appropriations Bill was approved on second reading.

Suansing also noted that the House opened bicameral conference committee proceedings to the public for the first time, livestreaming six days of deliberations and presenting amendments line by line.

“Sinalamin po ng mga mahahalagang repormang ito ang paninindigan ng inyong Kongreso na tanggalin ang tabing sa usaping budget at talagang ipakita kung saan napupunta ang bawat piso ng buwis na mula sa dugo at pawis ng bawat Pilipino (These important reforms reflect the conviction of Congress to remove budget obfuscation and to really show where every peso of taxes from the hard work of every Filipino goes),” she said. (PNA)